Thousands of patients across Sussex are seeing improved communication while on hospital waiting lists.
That’s according to the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, which says it has introduced new digital patient tools, making it easier to confirm or rearrange appointments via the NHS app, text messages, and online portals.
The trust says the system is helping reduce missed appointments and allowing available slots to be offered to other patients more quickly.
For example, during recent waiting list validation exercises, UHSussex achieved a patient response rate of more than 80%. As a result, thousands of patients confirmed they no longer required treatment (most commonly because their condition had either improved or they had received care from their GP or elsewhere) which has enabled them to be appropriately removed from waiting lists. This reduces avoidable missed appointments and ensures available slots can be offered to those who need them most.
Huw Edwards, Managing Director (Planned Care and Cancer) at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said: “We understand that waiting for hospital treatment can feel uncertain for some patients, which is why we are giving people greater clarity and control while making it quicker and easier to receive updates and manage their appointments.
“These digital tools also help ensure our waiting lists accurately reflect who still needs treatment, reduce missed appointments and make better use of the time we have available.
“When appointments become free at short notice, being able to contact patients quickly means we can offer those slots to others without delay.
“The initiative is also saving more than 266 hours of manual administrative time each week, allowing our teams to focus more of their time on delivering care to patients.”
Patients are encouraged to use the NHS App as their primary way to access digital healthcare services, including appointments, messages, questionnaires and results. The partnership behind this technology between UHSussex and Netcall was recently recognised with an HSJ Partnership Award, highlighting the Trust’s innovative approach to improving hospital services and strengthening waiting list management.
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